So this Lazy Old Geek (L.O.G.) hasn’t been able to do an Instructable for a few years. At 70 years old, the brain doesn’t work as well as it used to and it’s hard to focus on big projects let alone try to write about them. (I am entering Arduino Contest.) But with the help of my loving dog, Sadie and my CPAP machine, I’m going to give it a try. Sadie is my anti-depressant, keeps my spirits up and we walk ev ...

VersaLogic has released a rugged, lasting, simple-to-use and ready-for-deployment Zebra VL-EPC-2701 board. The Zebra single board computer is a complete Arm-based embedded computer. It features several models that are available with power-efficient, single- or dual-core i.MX6 CPUs. The Arm-based Single Board computer comes in two models; which features either NXP i.MX6 Solo (single core), or the i.MX6 ...

Back in 2007, Technologic Systems announced the TS-7800, a single-board computer (SBC) that was able to boot Linux 2.6 in under two seconds. At its core, The TS-7800 is equipped with a Marvel 500MHz ARM9 CPU and includes a user-programmable on-board FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) with 12,000 LUTs (look-up tables). The TS-7800 was a powerful board at that point and a template for other SBCs to follow i ...

RISC-V is an open specification of an Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). That is, it describes the way in which software talks to an underlying processor – just like the x86 ISA for Intel/AMD processors and the ARM ISA for ARM processors. Unlike those, however, the RISC-V ISA is open so that anyone can build a processor that supports it. Just as Linux revolutionize the software world, RISC-V could create a ...

The Intel Apollo Lake SoCs officially known as the Intel Atom® processor E3900 series, Intel® Celeron® processor N3350, and Intel® Pentium® processor N4200 platform empowers real-time computing in digital surveillance, new in-vehicle experiences, advancements in industrial and office automation, new solutions for retail and medical, and more. Intel which has also pioneered the Embedded NUC (eNUC) through it ...

Intrinsyc’s new Open-Q 845 HDK Development Kit has the same Mini-ITX (170 x 170mm) dimensions and sandwich-style design as the Open-Q 835 from the previous year. The main SoC, Snapdragon 845 is integrated into the board topped by a heatsink. This dev board includes a smartphone like 5.7-inch QHD (1440 x 2560) touchscreen controlled via MIPI-DSI, as well as a camera board with dual rear-facing cameras and a ...

My lower-midrange Hubsan X4+ FPV drone got stuck in a tree in the middle of winter. We managed to knock it down a couple of months ago (the drone, not the tree), while there was still lots of snow to cushion the fall. After weathering the elements for over a month, it appeared to be mostly fine, except…one motor was seized. On the plus side – teardown excuse. I confess this isn’t a full teardown. The 720p c ...

4D Systems, the manufacturer of intelligent graphics solutions, has announced a new 3.2” smart display module as part of the ‘ gen4 ’ series, which had been designed specifically for ease of integration and use, with careful consideration for space requirements and functionality. These modules features a 3.2” color TFT display with options for Cover Lens Bezel (CLB), Resistive Touch and Capacitive Touch. Th ...

The Sound Module-II or the SOMO-II is a small and efficient audio module from 4D Systems that is able to play .mp3 or .wma audio files in the convenience of accessing it within a microSD card or a USB Flash drive (by using external components). The aim of this project is to showcase the basic functions of the SOMO-II Audio Module such as the Play, Pause/Stop, Next, Previous and the Volume controls. The equa ...

The 4Duino DJ Mixer is a fun and interactive project similar to a keyboard MIDI Controller that has the ability to play sample beats and songs. Before, DJ and music artist needs to use computers, recording and playback devices before they can mix and play their own customized music. But using this project, the user can utilize the 4Duino LCD screens and the 4D SOMO-II music module. The 4Duino will serve as ...